Thermal refrigerator



Sept. 1, 1931. w GAY 1,821,509

THERMAL REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 14. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Sept. 1 1931. F, w GAY 1,821,509

THERMAL REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 1, 1931 UNITED STATES FRAZER W. GAY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY THERMAL REFRIGERATOR Application filed August 14, 1928. Serial No. 299,548.

g In known thermal refrigerators an absorbent substance adapted to absorb a refrigerant is-utilized, the absorbent substance being initially heated to force the refrigerant gas over into a condenser where the gas is cooled and condensed, after which the condensed refrigerant is valved into a refrigerating device or evaporator where it absorbs heat as it volatilizes and then passes again to the absorber, whereupon the process is repeated.

Among the objects of my invention are to utilize a single sealed vessel to contain a refrigerant and composed of three chambers one of which is adapted to contain a relatively great weight of the refrigerant when cool and a small weight of the refrigerant when hot, another chamber constituting a condenser which has cooled walls adapted 2 to condense the refrigerant and drain the refrigerant in liquid state into a third chamber when the first-mentioned chamber is heated.

Another object is to provide in a thermal refrigerator of this character a novel and improved construction wherein the temperature of said third chamber rises and falls with the temperature of the first chamber, while the second chamber is maintained at only slightly above ambient temperature, said third chamber being much colder than the first chamber, and a novel and improved thermal valve being arranged in juxtaposition with the third chamber so as to allow heat to flow freely from a medium to be cooled, such as a refrigerator, to said third chamber when the latter is cold but prevent the flow of heat from the third chamber into said medium to be cooled when said third chamber is hot. While the temperature of the third chamber rises and falls with that of the first chamber, the third chamber may be at or above ambient temperature when the first chamber reaches its maximum temperature, and may be at or near zero temperature when.the first chamber approaches ambient temperature.

Other objects are to provide a thermal refrigerator of the character described em- 5" bodying novel and improved features of construction; to thus provide a novel and improved refrigerant absorbing apparatus, and to obtain other advantages and results as 'will be brought out by the following description.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention for the purpose of illustrating the principles thereof, but it should be understood that this is primarily for illustrative purposes and that the invention may be embodied in many different forms of apparatus without departing from the splrit or scope of the invention.

Referring to said drawings, in which corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters,

Figure 1 is a schematic vertical longitudinal sectional view through a thermal refrigerator embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof from the line 22 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the apparatus to illustrate the details of construction.

Specifically describing 'the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1-3, inelusive, the reference character A designates the upper portion of a refrigerator which is 30 formed with the usual heat-insulated walls including the top wall 1. Within the refrigerator is arranged a shelf 2 upon which is mounted a tank 3 containing brine or other non-freezing liquid 5. Upon the top wall 1 5 of the refrigerator is mounted a bearing bracket 6 in which is rotatably journaled on ball bearings 7 a hollow shaft 8 with its axis at an acute angle to the vertical. Rigidly mounted within the hollow shaft 8 so as to turn with it is a tube 9 which is attached at its lower end to a cylindrical vessel 10 as by a brazed joint 12. This vessel 10 contains a refrigerant 11 such as butane, and is submerged in the brine 5. The upper end of the tube 9 is expanded and has connected thereto six pipes 13 each of which communicates at its upper end with a condensing chamber 14 which is surrounded by a suitable heat insulating medium or vacuum chamber 15. The top walls 16 of the chambers 14 also serve as the bottom walls of chambers 17 each of which communicates through a condenser tube 18 with a chamber 19 which is partially filled with a very strong aqueous solution of ammonia 20 and which has a plurality of heat radiating devices 21; 19 constitutes the first chamber, 18 the second chamber and 17 the third chamber. Each of the heat radiating devices 21 consists of a hermetically sealed tube containing a small volume of volatile liquid. Each tube 18 passes through a condensing chamber 22 which contains a volatile liquid and each of the chambers 22 is in communication with all other chambers 22 by pipes 23 and also is provided with heat radiating devices 24.

WVith this construction it will be observed that the various chambers 19 will be at different elevations at different points in the rotation thereof about the axis of the hollow shaft 8. and in accordance with the invention each of the chambers 19 is heated by any suitable means such as a gas burner 25 at a point slightly to one side of the lowermost point reached by said chamber in the direction of rotation thereof (see Fig. 2).

Specifically describing the operation of the apparatus. and assuming the starting point of each chamber 19 to he that indicated a in Figure 2. which is the lowest point reached by said chamber in its rotation. the condenser tube 18 slopes downward toward and drains into the chamber 19 so as to completely drain the corresponding chamber 17. Upon rotation of said chamber into its next position b, the chamber and the adjacent end of the condenser tube 18 are raised several inches so that the tube 18 slopes in the opposite direction and drains into the chamber 17. At this point the chamber 19 and its aqueous ammonia solution are located over the flame from the burner 25. This flame rapidly raises the temperature of the aqueous solution 20 and drives the ammonia out of the solution through the tube 18 into the chamber 17. cansing a pressure to be built up in these spaces at approximately two hundred pounds (200 lbs.) per square inch. \Vhen such high ammonia pressure is reached in the condenser tube 18, the ammonia condenses on the sides of the tube and the heat of condensation passes through the tube wall. causing the volatile liquid in the chamber 22 to boil. The heat of condensation is carried by the vapor thus produced through the tubes 23 to all of the chambers 22 for dissipation by the walls of these chambers and their attached radiating devices 24. \Vhen the chamber 18 reaches its position (I. the major part of the ammonia has been driven out of the solution 20, condensed in tube 18 and drained off into the evaporating chamber 17. As the chamber 19 reaches its next position 6, the ammonia above the solution 20 is being absorbed by the solution by reason of the lowering of the temperature of the solution by the radiation and conduction of heat from its container and corresponding radiating devices 21.

In this connection, it will be seen that with the radiating devices 21 at right angles to the axis of rotation of the apparatus, when one of said radiating devices lies on the right or lower side of the axis of rotation, for example the position a in Figure 2. the volatile liquid in the tubes runs to the outer free ends thereof, while when these tubes are located on the left or upper side of the axis of rotation, the volatile liquid in the tubes 21 will be next to the solution 20, and by vaporization of condensation will carry heat from the solution 20 to the radiating surfaces of the tubes 21 to be dissipated. Therefore, the tubes 21 do not act efficiently to radiate heat when the solution 20 is being heated by the gas flame, but do act as eflicient radiators during that portion of the cycle of operation immediatelyfollowing the heating of the solution 20. e 7

When the chamber 19 has reached the position f, the solution 20 will have absorbed sufficient ammonia to lower the pressure above the solution and the liquid ammonia in the chamber 17 to such a value that the body of ammonia in the chamber 17 boils and its vapor is absorbed by the solution 20. The temperature of the ammonia in the chamber 17 is lowered by this boiling to several degrees lower than the temperature of the refrigerant 11 in the vessel 10. Since the temperature of the walls of the chamber 17 is lower than the temperature of the refrigerant 11. the vapors of said refrigerant 11 will condense on the lower walls of the chamber 17. and these condensed vapors will be replaced by the boiling of the liquid refrigerant 11. Obviously, therefore. heat will be conducted from the refrigerator A through the brine 5. refrigerant 11 and its vapors to the boiling ammonia in the chamber 17, and this transfer of heat will continue until nearly all of the ammonia has been evaporated from the chamber 17 and been absorbed by the solution 20, which will be accomplished during the travel of the chamber through the various positions g. h, i, j. k. l. A small amount of water vapor will be condensed with'the ammonia Vapor in the condenser 18. This water will run into the chamber 17 and together with a small amount of absorbed ammonia will remain in said chamber 17 after most of the ammonia has been driven back into the chamber 19. It is necessary to transfer this residue of aqueous ammonia from the chamber 17 into the chamber 19 before starting the next cycle of operation. This is accomplished by my novel arrangement of the various parts of the refrigerating chamber. i. e.. absorbing chamber 19, condensing chamber 18 and evaporating chamber 17. The tilting of the axis of rotation and sloping of the tubes 18 obliquely downward toward that axis, causes the tubes 18 to drain the condensed liquid ammonia into the evaporating chamber 17 during the first part of the cycle and to drain the strong aqueous ammonia solution out of the chamber 17 and into the chamber 19 after the cycle has been completed.

The chambersmay be rotated as described by any suitable means, but it will be observed that this rotation may be automatically accomplished by the evaporation and condensation of the aqueous solution 20.

The gas flame 25 drives the ammonia from the chambers 19 into the chambers 17 so that said chambers 17 are heavy while the chambers 19 are light on the first half of the cycle of operation, and the heat from the refrigerator A drives the ammonia from the chambers 17 to the chambers 19 to be absorbed during the second half of the cycle, so that the chambers 19, are heavier than the chambers 17. Therefore, it will be evident that the clockwise rotatmg moments acting throughout the second half of the cycle are greater than the counter-clocluvise rotating moments acting throughout the first half of the cycle; and accordingly the apparatus will be slowly turned clockwise in the bearings T.

To control the speed of rotation and to make the same uniform, I may mount an annular hollow chamber 26 concentrically on the shaft 8 and provide in the chamber 26 a plurality of baffle plates 27 which divide the chamber into a series of circumferentially disposed sub-chambers. The battle plates have small orifices 28 and a quantity of mercury is placed in the chamber so as to flow by gravity through said orifices from one sub-chamber to another. The size of the orifices 28 will control the speed of rotation. If these orifices are made in the form of siphons. the action may be caused to take place in stages. As above indicated, in some instances it is desirable to drive the apparatus by this heat action, or the apparatus may be driven by a gas motor or the like, or both.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that water used in spray form or in any other suitable manner, may be utilized to aid in the cooling operation, and such water might also be used to rotate the apparatus.

'here the apparatus is intended to serve a plurality of refrigerating boxes, as in an apartment house, I propose to locate the refrigerating apparatus above described on the top floor of the house and connect the refrigerating chambers of the refrigerator boxes in the various apartments to respective pipes 29. 30. 31 and 32. Each of said pipes with the refrigerating chamber connected thereto constitutes a system and contains a relatively small volume of refrigerant. The transfer of heat from the refrigerating chamber of each box through the respective pipes 29, 30, 31 or to the brine 5 takes place in known manner. and it is evident that as long as there is enough refrigerant in the system to leave a small volume of liquid refrigerant at the lowest point thereof, that is the chamber in the refrigerator box. the refrigerant liquid will boil and cool the refrigerating chamber to substantially the temperature of the brine 5 in the master box A. It will further be obvious that should one of the pipes burst or leak. only a small amount of refrigerant can escape, and such will not affect the refrigerating operation of the master box A or the other systems using the other pipes 29, 30, 31 or 32.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a thermal refrigerating device, a plurality of chambers mounted to rotate about an inclined axis andeach chamber containing a refrigerant and so arranged as to empty its entire contents into the lowest portion of the chamber at one point of the rotation, said chamber having two other portions adapted respectively to condense and evaporate said refrigerant during the remaining period of rotation.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a plurality of hermetically sealed vessels annularly arranged to rotate about a common axis inclined to the vertical, each of said vessels including a chamber to contain large volumes of refrigerant when cold and expel large volumes of refrigerant when hot, a condensing chamber to condense said refrigerant when expelled from said first-mentioned chamber and drain it into an evaporating chamber which receives and holds the condensed refrigerant during the heating period of the first-mentioned chamber and acts as an evaporating chamber during the cooling period of said first-mentioned chamber, a refrigerator chamber. a thermal valve means between said evaporating chambers and said refrigerator chamber to pass heat from said refrigerator chamber to said evaporating chambers when the latter are cold and to act as a heat insulator to prevent passage of heat from said evaporating chambers to said refrigerator chamber when said evaporating chambers are hot. and means for heating the first-mentioned chambers of said vessels in succession during rotation thereof.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 2 wherein the evaporating chamber of each vessel is disposed nearer the axis than the corresponding first-mentioned chamber whereby the weight of the refrigerant as it is displaced to and from said evaporating chamber and said first-mentioned chamber and vice versa by application and removal of heat to and from said refrigerant causes automatic rotation of said vessels about said axis.

FRAZER W. GAY. 

